Legacy
by sopaltenbass
Summary: Neville visits his parents at St. Mungo's with Hannah. They talk afterwards. Written very last minute for the Father's Day Contest on the LJ community DAYDverse, which closed 6/30/2010.


**Title:** Legacy  
**Author:** sopaltenbass  
**Beta:** None  
**Disclaimer:** 1. This is a work of fan-fiction. 2. No money is made on this work. 3. JKR retains her rights. 4. Thanfiction retains his portions.  
**Rating:** G/K5+  
**WIP/Length:** Complete/1014 words  
**Main Character(s):** Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbot, Frank Longbottom  
**Warnings:** None  
**Spoilers:** Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness by Thanfiction sets up some context, but the story isn't really a spoiler for it.  
**Summary:** Neville visits his parents at St. Mungo's with Hannah. They talk afterwards  
**Author's Notes:** Written very last minute for the Father's Day Contest on the LJ community DAYDverse. Willow Creek is where Neville and his grandmother live in "Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness" and is the intellectual property of Thanfiction. Not the best thing I've ever written by a long shot, but at least I don't hate it. ;-)

* * *

For the first time in sixteen years, Gran let him come to visit them without her. She had explained it all away, saying that she was always nearby, she could come any time she liked, but he was away at school most of the year. It might also have something to do with the fact that Neville would be bringing Hannah with him this time. How would he explain to his parents? _Mum, Dad, this is Hannah, the love of my life_… No. That would never do. Even though it was the truth, he couldn't say it like that. So, when they arrived at St. Mungo's, Neville made a spur of the moment decision.

"Hannah, would you mind if I went in alone for a moment?"

"Of course not, Neville. They are your parents after all." She smiled at him, attempting to hide the traces of trepidation that made her eyes widen and her jaw tense. He should have realized she'd be nervous, meeting them for the first time, even if they did seem to be out of their minds.

"Thanks. If you could just wait five minutes, and then you can come in too," he replied, squeezing her hand.

And so, he entered the closed ward alone, passing Lockhart who gave him a vacant, but jovial wave, and proceeded to the beds at the far end where the curtains were drawn as usual in preparation for his visit.

He hadn't given a thought to how his changed appearance might affect his parents. Seeing himself in the mirror day in and day out lessened the shock for him, and Gran had taken it stoically enough. But when his dad drew back from him, with a look of sheer terror on his face and his mum had shrieked and the Healers came running, he felt terrible. He wanted to hold them, and comfort them, and explain to them that he was the same Neville that had come to see them many times before, but how could he be sure they would understand? He did the best that he could, backing away for a few moments, like you did with a Cringing Chrysanthemum, and approaching more slowly.

"It's alright, Dad. It's me, Neville." His father looked back at him with that same terrified gaze, but his fists gradually unclenched from the sheets. "Mum? It's okay. I'm the same person, even if I don't look it. I promise." His mother had stopped yelling incoherently now, but still eyed him with mistrust.

_This could take awhile_, Neville thought, but he had to see them, to say goodbye, and if by some miracle he survived the end of the year, he wanted them to know Hannah too. They would simply have to take it one baby step at a time.

When Hannah came in, the whole process started again. This time, however, he was able to hold his dad in his arms and comfort him the only way he knew how. As much as he hated to think of his parents as vegetables, taking care of them was oddly similar to caring for plants, and that, in its way was reassuring. Human beings needed the same nourishment and love that plants did, and Neville could do that. Before this year, it had been the one thing he felt he was really good at.

"Mum, Dad, this is my good friend Hannah from school. She's spending the holiday with Gran and me." Surely that was good enough to be going on with. If they survived, they could explain how they felt about each other, and if they died, at least his parents would know that he had a friend to whom he was comfortable introducing them. He glanced nervously over at Hannah, gauging her reaction to his words, and she smiled back at him. This was going rather better than he had expected. "It might be a long time before I see you again. But I want you to know that I love you both very much. And Dad, I'll make you proud. I promise you that."

When they left the closed ward, hand in hand, Neville felt drained. Apparently Hannah did as well. They stopped in briefly at the Leaky Cauldron to say hello to Hannah's grandfather, and then made their way back to Willow Creek on the Knight Bus together.

"Neville? Are you all right?"

"Yes, love, I just keep thinking about what I could have said, should have said to my mum and dad. How do you tell people you're not even sure understand you that you may never see them again?"

"At least you had the chance. My mum and I never got to say goodbye, not really."

"Oh, Hannah, I'm so sorry, I didn't think—"

"It's all right." But there were tears in Hannah's eyes as she went on. "You are very like your dad, Neville. You two share a unique bond. I could see that."

"For the longest time, I always felt like I was expected to _be_ him. I felt like there was no way I could ever measure up. I was nothing compared to him and my mum. But this year has changed my mind."

"I'm glad."

"Now I just want to make them proud. It was something Ginny said to me at the beginning of the year. It's time for me to stop living because of them, and start living for them. No matter how short a time I might have."

"You make a good leader, Neville, never doubt that. You have such a passion for what you do. I'd be willing to put a few Galleons on your dad being that way when he was your age too."

"I don't know. I've never asked."

"Maybe you should."

"I will. I love you, Hannah Abbot."

Hannah went slightly pink, but smiled back at him. "And I love you, in all of your awkward and self-defeating glory. Because when you allow yourself to get past it, when you are _yourself_ Neville, you are the most amazing man I have ever met."


End file.
